Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-04-02
POSTOFFICE R0BBERIES.
sIxTY-TWo COMMITTED BY A NEW
YORK POSTAL CLERK.

He steals q Package Containing Ten
Thousand Dollars in Currency But u
Detected and Makes Full Confession
of all His Previous Crimes.
NEW YORK, April lon Wednesday
morning the superintendent Of the pouch
room Of the New York postoffice found that
package containing $4,000 in currency
which had arrived in Pouch 6O6, from Port
land, Ore, late Tuesday night, was missing.
1t was from the First National banh of Port
land. addressed to the Chemical National
bank, Of this city. The eighteen clerks who
were in the room bore good regulations, but
the superintendent had himself checked the
package in, and knew that it must be con-
cealed somewhere about the building.
He sent for Chief Inspector Desser, who
took all the clerks to his Office on the fourth
floor and summoned Superintendent Bangs,
of Pinkerton's Detective agency. Mr.. Bangs
soon arrived with several of his assistants
and began thorough search Of the men and
the building. The examination occupied all
day Wednesday and all Wednesday night.
At 5 o'clock Thursday morning all the clerks
were allowed to go except William A.
Clarke, whom the detectives suspected,
though they had no direct evidence against
him. He was kept locked up, though be
stoutly declared his innocence.
About noon Inspector Aldrich, after many
hours patient search, found the $40, 900 pack
age at the bottom Of a closet in corner OF
the registry department. The closet was an
old one, very seldom used and was half filled
with rubbish. The package was concealed
at the bottom of the rubbish Clarke was
told that the money was found, and that evil
dence had been secured that he was the
guilty person He still protested his inno-
cence, and was left alone to reflect upon the
situation. Later in the day he called for In
spsctor Do,ser, and sullenly said ''As long
rs you have the evidence / might as well own
up. / took the package from the bag and
hid it in the closet substituted a package
from St. Louis pouch for it, and hoped in
that way to cover up the loss until l had
time to take it from the Office, as I did not
think it would be missed until after | had
gone home.
Clarke broke down and sobbed. When he
became compose l, list of sixty-two rob-
berries from the registry department during
the past few years was read to him, and he
was told that he WIS suspected of being the
thief. He confessed in all but one case. The
exception was as to a package from Charles
ton containing 5000, which was lost three
years ago. H sail he was led to steal in the
hope Of paying of pressing debts. He has
lived pretty fast life, and instead of getting
out of debt has plunged deeper in. He has
been in the department about five years, was
regular at his work and efficient He is
about thirty years DID, married, and lives
at No 240 De Kalb avenue, Brooklyn. All
the sixty-two robberies referred to were so
skiilfully done that tile ablest efforts of the
detectives employed by the postoffice depart
ment have hitherto failed in revealing the
transgressor. Clarke was too sharp to be
caught by decoy packages, and always COW
cred up his thefts to perfection
q, AtNE IN cr Ctuc